Pantum debuts entry level laser printer models

Chinese printer manufacturer Pantum announced the launch of two models today, the P2000 and the P2050, with recommended retail prices starting at £59.99 including VAT.

The printers will be available through office products distributor Spiders and pan-European distributor ACI within days. Pantum’s brand is owned by Seine Technology which in turn is owned Ninestar.

The latter is backed by none other than Legend Capital whose parent firm is Legend Holdings, one that also owns Lenovo, the world’s number one computer maker, something that could pave the way for a strategic partnership.

Seine Technology’s core business originated form the printer consumable industry and the company chose to launch its own printer brand, aiming to become a top five laser printer manufacturer “within the next few years”, a rather crowded market where it will face the likes of Canon, HP, Samsung, Dell, Epson, Kodak, OKI and Brother.

As for the P2000, a printer which we received this morning was launched back in December 2010 but is still a capable workhorse. It can print up to 20ppm in A4 and has a maximum monthly volume output of 20,000 pages.

Oddly enough, the press release mentions a robust metal frame chassis that can last for up to 100,000 pages which means that in theory, the printer will last up to five months when printing 20,000 pages per month (or around two A4 reams a day).

The printer uses the GDI printer language which means that it is compatible with Windows only. It has a 1,200 x 600 dpi resolution and it takes less than 10 seconds to print the first page. Other features include a 100 pages output capacity, a 150 sheet input, a 350W power usage when printing, a two year warranty and an 8MB cache.